World of Darkness
by Boadicia
Summary: Alternate Universe. What if Sparda had not rebelled against Mundus 2000 years ago? Dante and Vergil are rulers of a world gone mad as they battle Mundus for the fate of mankind. I need to get off the caffeine.
1. Prologue: A Little Makes a Difference

Prologue: A Little Makes a Difference  
  
This is a world different from what we know. What if, 2000 years ago, Sparda had not rebelled against Mundus and left for Earth? Instead, in our time, Dante and Vergil are emperors of a fallen world. They are the ones who turned against Mundus, and they are in a territorial war against him for the lives and souls of humans. This is where our story begins.

(X)  
  
Dante peered over the side of the building. He saw a swarm of monstrosities scouring the streets. He knew they were looking for him. This was the one hundred third posse of demons Mundus had sent for him. Mundus had been out for Dante and his wife ever since the word got out that they were expecting a baby. Hard work and great diligence were required to keep Mundus off their tail. Now that his wife was almost due, things would become exponentially more difficult.

Dante watched them scuttle through the streets below. They turned a corner around a building three blocks down. He stood perfectly still until the last one was out of view. He breathed a sigh of relief. He'd evaded them yet again. While he wondered when the next squad would be sent, he felt his cell phone vibrate. He pulled it off his belt and checked the caller ID. It was his brother Vergil. He flipped the phone open in one motion.

"Hello?"

"Dante," Vergil said, "you better get to the safe house. Now."

Dante stiffened somewhat as if to prepare for an attack. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, but you still want to be here. It's Deanna. She's gone into labor." Dante was silent for a moment. "Dante?" Vergil called. "Are you there?"

"Yeah," Dante responded. "I'll be there as soon as I make sure my trail is clear."

"Very well then. Goodbye brother." Vergil hung up first. Dante sighed again before closing the phone. He took another look down the street where the horde had previously disappeared. When he felt secure they wouldn't return, he jumped over the side. He transformed into demon form before hitting the ground. He flew in the opposite direction towards the safe house where his wife Deanna was hidden.

In under ten minutes, he landed at a large two story house hidden within a forest several miles from the city. He returned to human form and dropped to the ground. Taking a deep breath, he went inside to see what was waiting for him.

(X)  
  
Vergil propped his foot against the table and leaned back in the chair. He had disassembled his handguns, Izanami and Izanagi, so he could polish them. He was in the process of oiling Izanami when the front door opened. His twin brother walked in. Before either of them could say anything, a woman's scream rang through the house. Vergil rolled his eyes and pointed to the staircase with his head. Dante nodded in response and headed for the stairs.

When he opened the door, he didn't expect a warm welcome. He didn't get one. Deanna sat up on the bed. "Where the hell have you been!" she demanded.

"Trying to keep the two of us, soon to be the three of us, alive." He signaled with a wave of his hand for one of the nurses to move aside. He tossed his coat and gloves into her arms and pushed her away. She considered snapping at him, then thought better of it. Though Dante and his brother Vergil were generally benevolent, a temper tantrum could easily have her put away. She ground her teeth as she got out of the way.

Dante was glad she decided to go the way of common sense. He sat on the bed beside Deanna. She wasn't in the mood for comforting. He took her hand anyway. Within the next hour, she tried to fracture his hand five times. He didn't even flinch. He simply patted her hand as if to patronize her. He good naturedly accepted every profane name and word she sent his way, and even encouraged some of it with the occasional, "Yep," or, "Uh huh," or "I sure am."

The final time she called the obstetrician a jackass, the baby's shoulders finally slipped out. Both she and the doctor sighed with relief as he pulled the baby out. She lay flat and released her grip on Dante's hand. He didn't seem to notice.

"What is it?" Dante asked.

The doctor tied off the umbilical cord. "It's a girl."

Dante shook Deanna's shoulder to get her attention. "I heard," she responded. She opened her eyes when the doctor placed the baby over her stomach. "I'm too tired," she said to Dante. "Could you do something?"

"Of course." Dante took a towel from a nurse and wrapped it around the baby. He held her up for Deanna to see. Deanna smiled at the baby, then fell asleep from the exhaustion. "Take care of her," Dante said as he walked out of the room. "Let me know when she wakes up." He closed the door on his way out.

Dante wiped the baby's face with the towel. Her head was covered in platinum white hair. She whined and opened her eyes. Dante found himself staring into deep blue eyes. It was almost as if he were staring at himself. She was a stark contrast to her mother's black hair and eyes.

"There's someone else who wants to see you." He carried her downstairs to where Vergil was still polishing and maintaining his guns. He sat forward and lowered his feet to the floor.

"What do we have?" Vergil asked. "Do I have a niece or a nephew?"

"A niece." Dante held the baby up for Vergil to see.

"Whoa," Vergil said. "Don't you think she sort favors our mom?"

"No!" Dante pressed the baby against his chest as if to shield her from something.

"Okay," Vergil said. "Don't take it personally. What's her name?"

"I don't know."

"All this time, and you still don't have an idea. How about something from The Divine Comedy? Like Beatrice?"

"Not a chance, but I like Lilith."

"Lilith, queen of demons. How about Tiamat, Babylonian goddess of chaos?"

Dante rolled his eyes. "Lilith will do."

(X)

Mundus punched hole after hole into the stone walls. He was furious to discover that yet another extermination squad lost Dante and failed to locate Deanna. The entire chamber quivered with each blow.

"Father!" someone called from above. Mundus stopped and turned. His son Koromos ran down the stairs that led to his chamber. Koromos stopped on the final step as if to await permission to continue forward. Mundus signaled with a finger. Koromos approached and kneeled.

"Why are you here, Koromos?"

"I have news, Father."

"Good or bad?"

"That remains to be seen. The child has been born. It's a girl."

"So, Sparda's line continues again. This will make our attempts to take over Dante's empire even more difficult. He'll now be working to protect not only his own life, but his daughter's as well. Then, of course, she'll also have his brother Vergil protecting her. That is indeed bad news."

"Then, what do we do?"

Mundus thought for a moment. "First, we must kill Dante's wife. That way, there will be no more children, and he'll be too upset to find another wife. Then we go after the child. The rest will be history."

Koromos shook his head. "It won't be as easy as you make it sound."

"It doesn't have to be. If we can find where Dante is hiding his family, then the problem will basically take care of itself. Prepare another extermination squad."

"Yes, Father." Koromos bowed before leaving to follow orders. Mundus growled and punched another hole through the wall.


	2. The Shattering

The Shattering  
  
Lilith pressed her mouth against the glass. She inhaled through her nose and puffed her cheeks. There was a quick flapping sound as air escaped.

"Lilith!" Dante called. "Get away from the window!"

Lilith turned and pressed her back to the glass. "Why?"

Dante took her hand and pulled the eight-year-old away. "Because I don't want you to be seen by someone who shouldn't see you." He guided her to his desk on the left side of the room. She groaned with verbal exaggeration as he placed her into a chair and opened a book in front of her. "Finish your homework."

"Ugh." Lilith let her head fall against the book.

Dante rubbed her head. "It's a start." He walked towards the door. "Don't go anywhere." She waited for the door to close before lifting her head. Then she grabbed the book and slid from the chair. She ducked under the desk and sat on the carpet.

"I hate math."

(X)

Dante passed Vergil on his way down the hall. "What's up?" Dante asked.

Vergil knew it was a serious question. "We just iced another extermination squad."

"That's bad news, isn't it?"

"Exactly. This time they were uncomfortably close to the safe house. Mundus is getting wise to us. We better move. The next one is only about thirty miles from here."

Dante shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. You know the stress of our situation has made Deanna very ill. If I move her again, she'll only worsen, assuming she even survives."

"That's a chance we have to take. Whether or not she dies, you still have a daughter to protect. If Mundus gets to her, then everything we've fought for will be for nothing."

"I know that!" Dante bit on his thumb.

"Where is Lilith?"

"In my office. Take care of my stuff, will you?"

"Sure." The twins walked off in opposite directions. Lilith was greeted by the sound of the door opening and closing followed by footsteps. Rather than move, she pushed herself further against the desk. Vergil sat at the desk and shoved his feet under. Surprisingly, Lilith managed to avoid his feet.

Five whole minutes passed before Vergil finally said something. "I know you're down there. You might as well get up."

Lilith pulled herself forward and peeked up. "Uncle Vergil?"

Vergil pushed the chair back and snatched Lilith's book. "What's nine times eight?"

"Don't insult me. Seventy two."

"Well then. Let's say you're done for the day, and no one will be any the wiser."  
Lilith squinted as if in thought. "Okay." She crawled from under the desk and stood. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking after you."

"Where's my dad?"

Vergil merely shrugged. Lilith rolled her eyes and walked towards the window. Vergil grabbed her shirt as she passed him. "Stay away from that window. We don't want you to be seen by someone who shouldn't see you."

"That sounds like something my dad would say," she whined.

"Well, maybe if you obeyed, you wouldn't have to hear it."

Lilith relented and leaned against the desk. "What am I supposed to do? I'm bored, but no one will let me do anything fun."

"I'm sorry, but we live in a dangerous world. Maybe, if things were different, you wouldn't have to worry about such a thing."

"What would have made it different?"

"I don't know."

(X)

Lilith glanced over Vergil's shoulder. Then she ran around the table and did the same to Dante. They both were holding a handful of cards. Lilith looked at the table, which was an imaginary bloody battlefield. She glanced back and forth between her father and her uncle. Both brothers were stuck in the middle of a Magic: The Gathering duel. Vergil finally tapped some lands and played a card.

"There goes my Dreadnought."

Dante muttered a curse. Lilith gasped and pointed at him. He covered his mouth. "Sorry." He tapped some lands and an artifact card. "Grindstone. Let's go." Vergil grumbled as he discarded several cards from his deck.

Lilith shook her head. "I can't stand the slaughter. I'm going to bed."

"Good night," the twins said simultaneously. Lilith shrugged and dragged herself up the staircase. She passed Deanna on her way up.

"Hi Mom. Bye Mom."

"Hey." Deanna grabbed Lilith's arm. "Going to bed so soon? Without being taken?"

"I'm tired. It's a fluke. Enjoy it while it lasts."

"Okay, then." Deanna let Lilith shuffle to bed. She walked down to where Dante and Vergil were playing their game. She could almost see their foreheads shine with sweat. "Why do you two always do this? Is it some sort of sibling rivalry gone wrong?"

"No," Dante answered innocently as Deanna leaned against him. "It's just a game."

"That our very souls depend on!" Vergil added with a wicked laugh. Dante and Deanna gave him disapproving looks which he promptly ignored.

"You need help," Deanna said. She leaned over to look at Dante's cards. She pointed to a creature card. "Play that one."

(X)

Narek walked towards the light among the trees. "We're almost there," he told the horde of demons behind him. Soon we will have the child and her mother." He took his time approaching the light. Though they were impatient, the demons loyally remained behind him. "Look," he said when the house was finally visible. "Let's have some fun."

The demons maintained their distance behind him. He circled the house until he found some vines growing on the side. He grabbed the ladder structure that supported the vines and hauled himself up the side of the house. He stepped onto the roof and crawled towards the nearby window. When he peeked through the window, he saw a little platinum white haired girl lying across her bed.

"That must be her. Koromos will be pleased."

(X)

"Woman, get away from my cards." Dante gently shoved Deanna aside. "You'll give everything away."

Deanna slapped his shoulder. "Whatever. I'm headed for the kitchen. What do you want?"

"Nothing," Dante responded.

Deanna looked at Vergil. He simply shook his head. When she was gone, Vergil lowered his cards. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Tell her what?"

"About the extermination squad I found. About having to move because they're getting uncomfortably close."

Dante flattened his cards. "What do you want me to tell her?"

"Exactly what I told you."

"Look, Vergil, I don't think it's a good idea."

"Well, we can't sit here and wait for them to find us. What about Lilith? Don't take for granted that you'll just make another one."

"I'm not," Dante said. He was careful not to raise his voice. "I just don't believe Deanna would take it well."

"What if she doesn't? We still should move. She can recover from stress. She can't recover from death."

Dante leaned back against the chair. "I know. It's just not fair to them, the way we live, especially with a child in the picture."

"Think of all the civilian children we're also trying to protect. If Mundus has his way, that's pretty much self-explanatory."

"I know, already." Dante made a move to stand, but he was interrupted by the electricity suddenly going out. The house fell silent.

"I don't feel too optimistic about this," Vergil said.

"That may be a good thing. I'll go after Deanna. You get Lilith."

The two went their separate ways again. Before either of them could get out of the room, they heard Lilith scream upstairs.

(X)

Lilith screamed as Narek broke punched through the window. She rolled from the bed and fell to the floor. Her first immature instinct was to hide under the bed. Narek seized her ankle and pulled her back. He pulled her off the floor by her arms.

"Well," he said to her, "you must be the princess I was sent to kill." He pulled her close to his face. "Are you ready to die?" Lilith stared at him in terrified silence. "In the end it really doesn't matter."

He flinched slightly when the door flew open. It nearly broke from the hinges. Narek lowered Lilith just enough to see over her head. Vergil was standing at the entrance with a gun pointed at Narek's head. "Which one are you?" he asked.

"What difference does it make? Either way, I have to kill you."

"Even if it means putting the princess in danger."

"She's not in danger."

"Are you sure?" Narek dropped Lilith and wrapped an arm around her neck. Vergil recognized a detonator in the hand closest to her head. "How much are you willing to bet? Her life? Yours?"  
Vergil remained steadfast. "You won't scare me into relenting."

Narek nodded slowly. "All right. Then we'll have to do this the hard way." Narek lifted his hand. At the same time, Vergil pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced Narek's forehead. His thumb pressed the button before he went down.

(X)

Deanna dropped her glass when the lights went out. She tilted her head at the sound of scraping and low growling. In the corner of her eye, she saw something slimy press its face against a window. She opened her mouth, but Lilith's scream above came out first. She turned towards the door to run. Dante pushed it open and stopped her. She flew into his arms panting with panic.

"Shhh!" Dante ordered.

Deanna began breathing in short quick breaths. "I can't breathe," she managed to say between pants.

"Calm down. We have to get out of here."

"What about Lilith!"

"Vergil has her. Let's go."

He tugged on her arm to pull her from the kitchen. "He found us," she said to him.

He stopped to look at her. "What?"

"Mundus. He found us. How could you not know about this?" Dante ignored the question. "You knew?" she insisted. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Dante stopped to stare her in the eye. "Deanna, we don't have time for this."

"You thought I was too sick, didn't you?"

He didn't appreciate the accusation in her voice. "I'll explain when we get somewhere safe."  
Deanna jerked her arm away. "I'm not a child. You put our daughter's life in danger! How dare you!"

"I don't have time for lectures, woman! Let's go!" Before he could grab her arm, the house exploded.

(X)

Narek still had his arms around Lilith when they fell to the ground. He landed on his back. The impact forced him to release her. She seized the opportunity to break free and run. Narek pulled himself to his feet and chased after her. He ignored the falling debris as he grabbed her and held her screaming over his head.

"I'm surprised you survived. There's someone who wants to see you. Unfortunately, you have to be dead."

"Put her down!"

Still holding Lilith over his head, Narek turned to face Vergil, who was still pointing the gun. His other hand carried a sword. "What if I don't?"

"I'll have to take her back, one way or another."  
Narek ignored the lightning flowing across Vergil's hand. "They want her only one way. That's dead."

Lilith screamed again as Narek attempted to rip her body in half. A volley of sparkling bullets ripped through Narek's face. Narek fell over. Lilith rolled away as Vergil approached them. He plunged the sword into Narek's throat. Lilith sat on the ground in tears. When Vergil was sure Narek was dead, he pulled the sword free. Suddenly calm, he carefully pulled Lilith to her feet. She continued crying.

"Stop that," Vergil ordered. Either she didn't hear him or she disobeyed him. He shook her by the shoulder. "I said stop that!" She jerked her shoulder away. Oblivious to everything else, he lifted her off the ground. He transformed and flew away with her to everything behind to its fate. He was noticed by a few surviving fiends who took off after him. They kept their distance just enough to avoid being seen. They followed him on the ground through the woods towards a new hiding place.

(X)

Deanna had to fight to get a breath. There was a severe pain in her chest. She reached up to touch a wetness on her chest. She cringed in horror when she found a sharp piece of wood protruding through her heart. A fiend kneeled beside her. She tried to scream, but blood surged into her throat.

Attracted by the smell of her blood, it lowered its head for a quick snack. A knife from nowhere lodged itself into the side of its head. It shrieked and backed away. Dante stepped around her. She watched him decapitate the beast and impale the head on a nearby stake. He tossed it aside and took the demon's place beside Deanna.

She knew exactly what he was thinking. "Just go," she said. "There's no point in staying."

"You're out of your damned mind."

"Don't argue with me." She heaved and spat up a mouthful of blood. Dante seized the stake jutting out from her chest. It pulsed with each heartbeat. She mustered the strength to take his wrist. "If you do that, I'll die in seconds."

"That's the point. If I can't save you, I won't let them take you alive."

Understanding his intention, she released his arm. "I love you." Dante knew that responding would slow him down. He ripped the stake free. Deanna held back the scream. She deliberately closed her eyes and turned her head away. A few seconds later, she was dead. Wasting no time, Dante stood and walked in the direction he saw Vergil fly off.

He found Vergil leaning against a tree. Dead demons lay strewn across the ground. Lilith was propped against another tree. She was curled in a fetal position in total silence. Vergil shook his head, almost in disbelief, when he noticed that Deanna was missing.

"Where is she?" he asked, though he was sure he already knew the answer.

"Not now," Dante said. He went to Lilith and lifted her into his arms.

"Is that your answer to everything?" Vergil challenged. "Total silence." Dante glowered at him, but Vergil didn't back down. "It was your silence that got us into this mess."

"I am not in the mood, Vergil. Either way, we've been compromised. We need to get out of here. We have to walk a ways to avoid drawing attention."

Vergil let Dante get ahead a few steps. "I suppose you're not worried about Deanna's health now." He heard Dante growl at him. Vergil let him keep ahead. "I wonder what's next," he said, but it was deliberately too low for his brother to hear.

(X)

Mundus bit into the glass pipe and inhaled the noxious smoke. His lungs were filled with smudge of smoldering belladonna. He removed the pipe and exhaled through clenched teeth. He listened to his son's footsteps as Koromos descended into the chamber.

This time Koromos didn't bow. "I never thought I'd actually catch you getting high." Mundus responded with a long exhale. "One from Narek's team returned."  
Mundus tilted his head. "Only one?"

"According to him, all the others were killed, including Narek. He says they managed to kill Deanna, though."

"One down, three to go. The empress is gone. Now there is just the emperor, the regent, and the obnoxious princess." He took another puff of the belladonna. "Where are they now?"

"No one knows."

"They'll never return to the scene of the crime. This will push back our efforts by several years. By then, the princess will be grown. Then what?"

"We'll just have to deal with them all the old fashion way." Koromos snatched the glass pipe and inhaled the belladonna smoke. He coughed and wiped some water from his eyes. "That's really good." His voice was raspy and weak. Mundus released a low belly laugh as Koromos left the chamber.


	3. Even the Gods Have a Sweet Tooth

Even the Gods Have a Sweet Tooth  
  
Lilith leaned over the ledge. She could see several small figures in the darkness roaming around the courtyard below. She instantly recognized Koromos standing in the middle of the rabble. They were obviously on guard, as if they were waiting for her.

"What do you see?" one of her companions asked. She held up a hand to signal for silence. She watched as Koromos walked the perimeter of the area. A woman was tied down in the center of the courtyard. She was sure he knew she was there. With hand movements, she ordered half of the unit to circle around and the other half to stay put. Then she leaned further over the side and jumped over. She landed silently behind one of the sentries. All he felt was her hand on his chin before she snapped his neck in half in a single move. She lowered him carefully to the ground and rolled to the nearest pillar.

She could hear Koromos begin the citadel's final dedication to Mundus. She saw Derik, her second-in-command, circle around the edge of the courtyard. He hid within a shadow and signaled that everyone was ready. Lilith took a deep breath before stepping out of her hiding place.

Koromos took a kris shaped knife from a nearby demon. In his other hand, he grabbed the woman's hair to pull her head back. She was shiny from sweat and fire light. "You understand," he said, "it's nothing personal." He lifted his hand to stab her throat. Before he could plunge the knife into its target, a white blaze severed his hand from above. He watched it fall to the ground, flex, and release the knife.

General chaos broke out. Amid a shower a bullets from her unit, Lilith stepped forward. The twirling white blaze that severed Koromos's hand returned to her. Without any move on her part, it flew around her and attached itself to her back. Koromos then realized it was a sword. While the rest of his crew was busy with Lilith's crew, he picked up his hand and pressed it against his wound.

Lilith dove for the knife at his feet. He saw what she was doing and stepped on it. She compensated and punched him in the gut. He dropped his hand before it could finish healing. She kicked it aside. He grabbed her with his one hand and jabbed her abdomen with his knee. She returned with a head butt.

Koromos gave her a head butt of his own that was harder than hers. Before she hit the ground, he picked up his hand. He put the thumb between his teeth and grabbed the woman with his other hand. Then he jumped over Lilith's head. Lilith rolled to her feet in time to see him land on top of the citadel wall. She jumped after him. She chased him and the screaming girl into the castle. He led her through numerous corridors, but she wouldn't be left behind.

Halfway over a catwalk, Koromos nearly stumbled. The catwalk gave way under him. He and the girl plummeted to the floor below. Maintaining her momentum, Lilith vaulted over the twenty foot gap. She spun and kneeled on the edge. The girl had landed relatively safely on top of Koromos. Koromos pushed her aside. He sat up and pressed the severed hand against the wound.

Lilith sighed and stood. Just as she was preparing to jump down, she felt her right eye fill with a dark stinging fluid. "Oh no. Not again." Lilith wiped her face and looked at her hands. They were covered with blood. She flicked the blood away and threw herself off the catwalk. She transformed in mid air. Using all six of her wings, she stopped short of landing on Koromos and hovered over him. The woman screamed and pushed herself away with her feet.

Lilith drove one of her arm spikes into Koromos's neck and flew away with him. She propelled herself through the nearest window. Koromos pulled himself off the spike (with both hands). He let her go, but she seized his arm and continued flying until they were over the ocean.

"Tell your father that he's lost again. We won't concede." She released him into the water. When Koromos didn't resurface, she flew back to the castle. She landed on an outdoor staircase that led to an entrance. She reverted to human form and dropped to a knee. Each transformation grew easier than the one before, but they still left her fatigued.

"Just a few more, and that won't be a problem." The blood always fell from her eyes right before each one, as if her thoughts triggered it. She took a deep breath and stood. She ran up the staircase and reentered the castle. She backtracked to the room where she'd left the woman. The woman was huddled on the floor as if she still expected to die. Lilith removed the gag. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Princess." She fell silent when Lilith covered her mouth.

"Don't do that," Lilith informed her. "I hate being called Princess." She proceeded to remove the rest of the woman's bindings. "Let's get the hell out of here." She was startled when the woman screamed again. Lilith followed her eyes. A large ghostly figure in a flowing black robe approached them from above. It carried a scythe in its hands.

Lilith knew exactly what it was. "Death Scythe." She stepped in front of the woman and raised her guns, Tiamat and Marduk. The woman backed into a corner as Lilith made short work of the Death Scythe and the Sin Scythes that followed it. When the mask of the final Sin Scythe shattered, she felt her cell phone vibrate.

"I need a break." She answered the phone. It was Derik. He simply told her that everything was clear. When she hung up, she called Dante on his cell phone. "Dad, we did it," she said. "We have Mallet Island."

(X)

Lilith relaxed in the plaza. She was one of nearly a hundred people there. She was sitting on the shoulder of a statue of her grandfather Sparda. If she were anyone else, her action would have been considered an act of vandalism. She watched as the people below placed offerings at the foot of the statue. They left everything from food, to flowers, to jewelry, to incense. She sighed as if she pitied them.

"People will make a religion out of anything."

"Indeed they will."

Lilith looked up at the statue's head. Dante smiled and waved. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Just watching my father's adoring fans in their moment of piety."

"Why do they do it, Dad? Why do they think we are gods?"

"Because they want to be free. We're the only ones who can save them from Mundus and hell. We did not start the religion, but it would be unwise to denounce it."

"I hate being a goddess. It's too much pressure."

"What's worse? Being a goddess, or a princess?"

"It's bad enough being both."

Lilith returned her attention to the people below. A child held up a dead rat by its tail. A woman clutched his arm and shook it. She was obviously embarrassed by the child's choice of offering.  
"Woman!" Dante's voice projected over the plaza. The sheer force of it caused Lilith to nearly lose her balance. The entire plaza fell silent. When he was sure he had her attention, he ordered her, "Release the child!"

She obeyed and stepped back. The little boy picked up the rat and held it up. "Is that all you have?" Dante asked. He was cautious to make his voice gentle but powerful. The boy nodded. "Then we accept." The child placed the rat at the foot of the statue.

"Diplomacy," Lilith muttered.  
"Hey!" Dante called to the boy. "Wash your hands!" The child nodded and followed his mother out of the plaza.

"Diplomacy and sanitation," Lilith said a little louder.

"They do what they can. The least we can do is assure them that we're reasonable and they won't be struck by lightning if we get upset."

"Which we can actually do," Lilith added.

"That makes gaining our favor that much more desirable." Dante popped something into his mouth.

"Hey," Lilith said, "what are you hiding?"

"Jolly Ranchers."

Lilith remembered how, when she was little, her father would always throw a Jolly Rancher into her mouth whenever she was about to make an inappropriate remark. He never failed to see it coming. Even better, he could always tell the difference between an actual insult and something she said just to get a piece of candy. "I suppose even gods have a sweet tooth."

"Uh huh." Dante dropped a Jolly Rancher into her hand. "In the end, we are all just people. I just hope no one has to figure that out the hard way."

Lilith knew he was referring to death. "I hope for that more than anyone."

They stayed on the statue throughout the entire ritual of offerings. It was twilight by the time the last person left. Dante and Lilith jumped from the statue. With a snap of his fingers, Dante summoned several people from the shadows. They rushed to the statue with bags to gather the mess the worshipers had left behind. Lilith followed him out of the plaza to the sidewalk.

"Take a look at this," Dante said.

Lilith glanced around as if to actually look for something. "What?"

"It's so quiet out here."

"Okay." Lilith was sure her father was going insane.

Dante stopped and held up a white flower on a nearby vine. The flower was just beginning to open in the coming darkness. "An evening glory, a moonflower," he explained. "How appropriate to cultivate a flower that blooms only at night on the side of the street. It reminds the people that there is life in the darkness, too."

"That could be good or bad." Lilith always felt disturbed when her father got into this mood. It made her feel as if he were possessed by a dark entity trying to hold back some secret craving. Sometimes she was afraid of him.

"You're right," he said, "but it's hope. Sometimes that is enough." He plucked the evening glory from the vine and held it out to her. "Your mother loved these."

Lilith felt her gut twitch when he mentioned her mother. She carefully took the evening glory and sniffed it. It seemed to be the only connection she had to an almost dead memory. Dante walked away from her. She snapped from her woolgathering and ran back to his side. She held the flower up. "You never really told me the whole story."

"What?"

"That night, when the first house was attacked. I remember the last time I saw her. I was going to bed because I was tired of watching you and your brother play games all night. We were attacked, and the house was destroyed."

"Yeah," Dante said with a tinge of impatience. "What's your point?"

"She died. I know you watched it happen."

"You were only eight. You can't possibly expect me to have told you the whole story then."

"No, but now I'm sixteen. I think I can handle it." Dante didn't say a word. "I hate when you do this," Lilith said. "You always grow quiet when I suggest something you hate. Pretty soon, you'll probably end up throwing fire at me just to shut me up."

"That's a good idea."

Lilith stopped herself from crushing the flower. "Then why did you bring her up in the first place? Over a stupid flower, no less."

Dante snatched the evening glory, crushed it, and threw it into the street. Lilith fought down her anger. She merely puffed and continued walking. "I wish you wouldn't do that!" she almost yelled.

"You're right," Dante said. "I shouldn't have brought her up."

Lilith held her head as if she were getting a headache. "I'm sorry. It's just been a bad day. Hell, it's been a bad life, but I manage. It could be worse." Lilith pulled out another Jolly Rancher and sucked it up. "Ahh, drugs."

"Did you bleed?"

Lilith almost swallowed the Jolly Rancher. "What?" she said after coughing it up.

"Your eyes, I mean."

"Oh. How'd you know?"

"The same happened to me."

"Is it an omen?"

"I don't know." Dante lifted his head. He heard a distant squeaking sound, like a horde of mice or bats.

Lilith picked up on it right afterwards. "Already? It's too soon."

"They don't seem to notice that." In a flash of black light, Dante sped down the street. Cursing her luck, Lilith transformed and ran after him. She had to exert herself to keep up. She would have stopped if she hadn't seen the creatures chasing her.

As she turned a corner, a creature slammed into her. The surprise attack sent them both rolling. When they finally stopped, Lilith found herself on the bottom. The demon held her down by her throat. The creature appeared to be female. Its hair was made of flowing shadows flying in a perpetual wind. It opened its mouth to reveal two rows of fangs.

Panic surged through Lilith's body. This was the closest any hitman had gotten. She must be getting careless. She felt a fire fill her blood. As the rest of the pack descended upon them, Lilith felt the blood trigger. She focused on the fire and commanded it out of her body. Everything around her was filled with a hot blinding white light. She felt the demon disintegrate around her.

Dante returned just as the light died. He found Lilith lying on the ground among a pile of smoldering ash. She was staring up at the sky. Her eyes drifted towards him, but she made no other move. Dante reached down for her.

"Let's get back to the manor," he said. "If there's more of them, that light just attracted them."

She took his hand and pulled herself up. Though they were in a hurry, they allowed themselves to go only as fast as was comfortable.

It took nearly an hour to make it to the manor. Lilith ran for the living room and threw her boots off. She stretched across the divan next to the window and focused on the sky beyond the trees.

"I think I'll stay here tonight."

"Fine." Dante walked away without an argument.

Lilith felt apprehensive about that. She sat up on the divan. "Are you mad at me?"

Dante stopped but didn't turn around. "Why would you think that?"

"Because of the whole thing with the flower."

Dante continued walking. After closing the curtains, Lilith lay back on the divan and closed her eyes. She was almost asleep when she felt someone shake her. "What!" She pushed the person away.

"How the hell are you, too?" Vergil sat on an available spot on the divan. "What's been going on? You look like shit."

"Thanks for telling me." Lilith ran her hands over her forehead and through her hair. "Just so you know, it's been a less than perfect day."

"Uh oh, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I just got back from Mallet Island and spent the rest of the day in the plaza watching people give offerings. Believe it or not, one of the children offered a dead rat."

Vergil's face showed he obviously didn't believe it. "You're joking. What did Dante do?"

"You know how Dad is. He accepted it, then told the kid to wash his hands."

Vergil laughed. "Diplomacy and sanitation."

"That's what I said. It was past dusk when we left. We passed some vines and he got all sentimental on me."

"What?" Vergil asked in confusion.

"An evening glory. He gave it to me and started reminiscing about Mom. When I asked him about her, he got quiet and a little bit hostile."

"You asked him about her death, didn't you?"

"Am I that predictable?"

"No. I just happen to know you too well."

"Other than the obvious, why does he always get so upset when I try to talk about her? After all this time, you'd think he'd grow up and let go."

"There's more to it than growing up and letting go. He lost his wife."

"Then why can't he talk to me about it? I'm mature enough to handle it."

"Maybe it's guilt."

"Guilt?"

Vergil shrugged. "When the word got out that she was pregnant, Mundus sent out packs of hitmen. Starting the very day you were born, they went specifically after you. Your father wasn't too worried, but your mother never got a good night's sleep ever again. She was so busy worrying about whether or not her baby would see another sunrise. To make a long story short, the stress made her very ill."

Vergil stopped suddenly. "That's not what killed her," Lilith challenged. "She didn't disappear until the day the last house exploded."

"True. She was killed when the explosion threw her onto a wooden stake. It pierced her heart. There was no way to save her, so she told him to kill her."

Lilith sucked in air. "I don't believe you."

"Why would I lie? She didn't want to be taken alive. Even though she was fated to die, she definitely would have lived long enough to be captured if they wanted her to."

"Oh my god." Lilith covered her mouth with one hand. Vergil pulled her hand away.

"You know absolutely nothing about your mother. I bet you don't even know where she was from."

"As a matter of fact, I don't."

"Ah. Her name was Deanna Min Ná."

"I know that part."

"Did you know that she wasn't from around here?"

"'Around here' being?"

"Earth." Before Lilith could ask, he elaborated. "She was from another realm called Shangri-La. She was having some demonic trouble, so she sent someone to Earth to take us there. It was a lost cause, so we brought her here."

"A lost cause? What happened in Shangri-La?"

"The people were being possessed. While your parents were busy courting, I discovered a woman who was getting too close for comfort."

"Meaning?"

"She was behind the demonic possessions and was even trying to steal Deanna's soul. We discovered what was going on and killed her on the spot."

"You make it sound like you did the whole thing yourself."

"Of course not. It took all three of us. Just don't tell anyone what I told you. Then we'll both be in trouble, and I do not want to hear my brother complain."

"That makes two of us." Lilith pulled her final Jolly Rancher from her pocket. "You want this?"

"Sure," he said as he took it. "Even gods have a sweet tooth."


	4. The Greatest Foe

The Greatest Foe  
  
Koromos waved his fingers over the candle flame. Kerlak, a friend of Narek's brother, sat in a chair in front of him. They were physically alone in the room, but they were not the only ones there. They heard Mundus's voice echo in the emptiness.

"You lost Mallet Island," it accused Koromos. "That completely separates us from our home turf and any possible reenforcement. What are you going to do about it?"

Kerlak slouched in her chair. "There is nothing he can do. He lost it. He should not be relied upon to get it back. He's just lucky enough to have not been killed in the process, and that's only because Lilith let him go to humiliate him."

Koromos did not hide his disgust with her. "I suppose you would have said the same to Narek?"

"I didn't have to. If I'd been out there, we wouldn't have to worry about the princess even making it to her ninth birthday, let alone her sixteenth."

"Well, Kerlak," Mundus insisted, "since you obviously have all the answers, how do you believe we should take back Mallet Island?"

"Maybe Mallet Island should not be the focal point. Right now, you and Dante are just butting heads over territory until one of you figures out how to destroy the other once and for all. Perhaps the best way to destroy an enemy is to trick him into putting the knife to his own throat."

"Meaning?" Koromos asked.

"It is evident we cannot get to Dante, and he's too suspicious to let anyone get to Lilith. On the other hand, someone that he's not too concerned about would be an easy target. Someone he trusts to be self- reliant. Someone we can easily get to and influence without arousing suspicion."

"Such as some minor servant? What difference would someone like that make? His own military doesn't even get that close to him."

Kerlak rolled her eyes. "I'm not referring to some nameless extra. I mean someone who can actually get close to him on a regular basis. He may keep an iron hand over his daughter, but his brother is a different story."

"Vergil?" Koromos laughed. "His own brother? What makes you think that Vergil would turn against him? The twin sons of Sparda are incapable of treachery, especially towards each other, and definitely towards Lilith. They protect their own."

"Then we'll have to convince him to do otherwise."

"How?"

"A mole. Someone who can take control of him. If we infect him with some sort of mental parasite, we can gain control of his mind. We just need someone who's willing to do it, even at the risk of death."

"And that would be?"

Kerlak smiled. "I'm glad you asked. That's where your father comes in."

(X)

Lilith was in a hurry to be on her way. She ran into the final temple of her monthly errand with a leather pouch in her hand. "At last," she huffed. "I've reached the last one." As she did in every temple in the city the day of each full moon, she strewed a mixture of yarrow and vervain across the stone floor. Then she approached the altar with three censers. In the first she placed frankincense, myrrh in the second, and sandalwood in the third. She ignited them with miniature fireballs from her fingertips.

"I'm out of here."

The doors opened behind her. She spun on her heel in preparation for some serious action. Someone had committed a blasphemy by entering the temple while she was in it. She saw a single woman standing at the doors. Lilith pointed at her as if to throw a curse.

"Get out!" The woman stared at her. She appeared to be unaccustomed to the religious protocol of the sovereign state. That meant she came from the other one. Lilith stopped in her tracks when the thought crossed her mind. "Who are you?"

"Are you Lilith?" the woman asked.

"I said get out. Your presence is taboo here."

When the woman still didn't move, Lilith seized her arm and pulled her outside. She pushed the woman towards the sidewalk. It finally registered to the woman what was happening. "What are you doing?"

"No one is allowed in a temple in my presence."

"Why not?"

"Do you know whom I am?"

"I'm assuming you're Lilith, princess and goddess of this empire."  
Lilith clasped her hands behind her back. "You know of me, yet you are not a citizen, are you?"  
The woman lifted her head. "I must speak with your father. I have come in search of asylum."

(X)

"Uncle Vergil!"

Vergil sat up at attention. The screen projection in front of him was covered with blurry words and images. He rubbed his eyes to make them clear up. The screen slowly came into focus. At first he couldn't remember where he was. Then he saw the late afternoon sunlight flowing through one of the walls. The entire wall was made of glass. He was in the Mithras Tower in the middle of the city, the literal heart of the empire.

Vergil heard his niece call out to him again, except this time her voice indicated she was closer. He pressed a button on the screen and ordered the system to shut down. The door opened at the same time.

"You scream?" he asked.

"Apparently," Lilith answered sarcastically. "We have a problem."

"When don't we have a problem?" Vergil pushed his chair from the table and leaned back.

"What's up?"

"We have a visitor from the other side. She claims to be in search of sanctuary."

"Have you spoken to your father about this?"

"No. She caught me in a temple, and you were closer."

"Fine. Show her in."

"If you say so." Lilith stepped aside and signaled to someone in the hallway. A woman followed her into the room. "She's all yours." Lilith saluted and left the room.

Vergil stared at the woman in utter disbelief. She was pale skinned with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in dingy clothes designed for difficult travel. Her shirt was still damp from sweat as if she'd walked the distance. Vergil, however, didn't pay attention to any of that. He was more concerned with the fact that she reminded him of someone long dead.

"Are you all right?" the woman asked.

Vergil shook his head to wake himself up. "Yeah, I'm fine. You are?"

"My name is Trish." Vergil continued staring until she asked, "may I sit down?"

Vergil finally became completely aware of what was going on. He stood and offered her his chair. He resorted to sitting on the edge of the desk. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Trish."

"Lilith said you were in search of sanctuary."

"That's right. There were five of us, but the others were killed while we were running from one of those infamous extermination squads."

"Why were they after you?"

"Koromos sends them after everyone who attempts to leave his principality. I'm the only one who's ever actually escaped. It's quite effective in keeping people under control."

"I won't ask why anyone would want to leave, but why try if failure is guaranteed?"

Trish's eyes widened as if it were a stupid question. "We have to get out of there. We don't want to wait for war. Most of us wouldn't survive the crossfire. Every person I know has, as of today, died in your bids for power."

Vergil moved his eyes up and to the right. "Would you rather we leave you there?"

"No, but I do have something important to tell you that may make it easier on everyone else you're trying to save."

Vergil returned his gaze to her. "Which is?"

"I know for a fact that the stipulations of the war are changing right under your nose, and you can't even see it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I used to be a slave in one of Mundus's principalities, specifically the one run by Koromos. We have an underground network trying to smuggle out important tactical information to this side. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked because of the hitmen. That's what my group was doing when we left."

"What were you trying to smuggle?"

"The war that you are fighting now is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Koromos is going to try to regain control of Mallet Island."

"What makes that so special from anything else he's doing?"

Trish shook her head. "You really do not comprehend the importance of your victory there. Koromos lost a lot of favor with his father because he lost that island."

"And you think the majority of their future effort will be focused on the island."

"I know it is. You would never have known if I hadn't shown up. I came here specifically to tell you this."

Vergil tugged on his own ear. "How do I know you weren't let go specifically to tell me this?"

Trish rolled her eyes. "Are you suggesting that I'm trying to set you up?"

"No, I'm suggesting that Koromos is using you to set me up."

"I'm insulted."

"I don't care."

Trish threw her hands up. "I don't care how you take it. Either way, there's a price on my head, dead or alive, preferably dead. If you send me back, they will kill me."

"I don't doubt that."

"So you're just going to get rid of me?"

"Of couse not. That will be my brother's decision." The conversation was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering. "That would be him now." Vergil slid from the desk and turned to face Dante. Dante had smashed through the glass wall in devil form. "Hello," Vergil said while dragging out the last syllable.

Dante returned to human form and stood. "Hey." His jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw Trish. Vergil didn't want him distracted, so he jumped in front of Dante and snapped his fingers. "What?"

"Why did you fly through my window?" Dante simply pointed to what used to be the glass wall. Vergil was abruptly aware of gunfire. "Already?" He stepped to the window and peered downwards. "Since when did they start attacking during daylight?" Vergil didn't wait for an answer. He leapt from the window feet first. Dante allowed himself one more look at the woman before throwing himself after Vergil.

Trish shook her head. "This is going to get ugly."

(X)

"They are becoming dangerously brave." Lilith typed a code into the computer. "Since when did they think it was safe to come out in daylight, even if it is around dusk?"

Dante listened to the sound of the Mithras Tower engaged its defense system. "It means something."

"Like what?"

"Anything. They might be trying to scare us, or it could mean a change in tactics."

"It could be a change in tactics, but there are two problems with that. It's too slow, and it puts us on guard even more than before. I wonder what that woman has to do with it." She heard her father release a slow growl from his throat. "What is it about her that's upsetting everyone?"

"Who's upset?"

"You and Vergil. I saw how he reacted to her. It was as if he recognized someone."

"He did."

Lilith stretched her neck until something popped. "I'll assume you wouldn't have said that without elaborating." Dante remained silent. "You'll have to say it sooner or later. Sooner would be healthier."

"Either way," Dante said, "we have to consider what she said."

"What's so special about Mallet Island?"

Dante deliberately wrinkled his forehead. "I never told you?"

"If you did, I would already know the answer to my own question."

"It's a portal."

"Es weh?" Lilith asked in totally confused gibberish.

"A portal, a gateway, a bridge between worlds."

"What's on the other side?"

"Hell. It was through Mallet Island that my family came to Earth. It was through the same place that Mundus and his family came to Earth. When we took the island in battle, it cut Mundus and his gang from the homeland."

"That definitely explains it. Does this mean the woman's words are truth?"

"Maybe. Don't think I trust her, though."

"Why? Is she potentially the greatest foe of all?"

"Impossible. The greatest foe lies within. The only thing another can do is bring it to the surface."

Lilith rolled her eyes. "You're not going to take her to the manor, are you?"

"Absolutely not, even if she is trustworthy. No one who doesn't live in the manor will ever go inside it. She'll just have to stay the night in the tower."

"And we have to rough it on the streets."

Dante shrugged. "We're the only ones who can."

"We're racing home by foot, then?"

"Do you know a better way to not get caught? Come on. We have less than an hour before sunset."

(X)

Trish sat in the lobby on the first floor of the tower. She was preparing to make herself comfortable for a long night alone in the building. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a black stone. Though it was the first time she held it, it was hot in her palm. She felt it throb as if it had a heartbeat.

"This is my only chance." She closed her hand around the stone at the sound of the door opening. She stood to greet Vergil halfway. "You're leaving now?"

"Yeah. We have to be out of here before sunset."

"What did Dante say? Will he return to the island?"

"I don't know."

"He has to."

Vergil shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "That's for him to decide."

"This is a war. He has to go, regardless of his reticence."

Vergil's spidey sense began ringing. His intuition insisted he keep his distance. "You've done your part. You have no control over anything else."

"You're wrong," Trish said with a bit of temerity. "There is one other thing I must do."

"Which is?"

Trish held up her hand and opened her palm to reveal the stone. Vergil instantly recognized its purpose. Before he could strike at her, the stone erupted.


	5. Birth of the Black Angel

Birth of the Black Angel  
  
"He's late." Dante pulled his watch off and threw it across the mantle. "Something must have happened."

"Are you going back to the Mithras Tower?" Lilith asked.

"If I were suicidal."

"You're not going to leave him out there, are you? He's not a casualty of war. You can't do that."

Dante knew it was coming. "I know where this will lead, but I'll bite anyway. Why shouldn't I leave him out there?"

"He's your brother."

"That can't stand in the way of our safety and possible victory. There are monsters out there hunting for us in the night. Hiding is the only thing protecting us. We are powerful, but there are only three of us against a whole army. If it were me out there, I would expect him to do the same."

"Why? Because if we all die, the cause is lost?"

"Especially if it's you."

Lilith returned to her spot on the divan. She didn't hide her contempt for her father's decision to not go looking for Vergil. If he didn't find his way to the manor soon, he wouldn't get in. She dared to step into forbidden territory. "Is that what you told my mother when you ripped that stake from her heart?"

Dante unconsciously cracked his knuckles. "Vergil told you."

"Somebody had to. If what he said is true, then I'm not angry about it."

"What did he tell you?"

"That she told you to kill her fast, so she wouldn't live long enough to be captured."

"That's true."

Lilith nodded. "Then I believe you. I just wish you wouldn't have hidden it as if it were taboo. Did you think I wouldn't understand?"

"You were a child then. Afterwards, it didn't seem to matter."

Lilith diverted her attention to the window. "He'll be all right. Won't he?"

"I hope so."

"Do you think that woman had anything to do with it?"

"I know for a fact she did. I was just hoping Vergil wouldn't have been careless, or unfortunate, enough to cross her path again before we left the tower. Neither one of us trusted her from the beginning, but we couldn't let her know that. We didn't intend to keep her in the Mithras Tower to protect her. We were keeping her there to imprison her."

"Why?"

"Don't go anywhere, and I'll show you."

Lilith kept looking out of the window. She zoned out to the distant sound of rummaging. Then she felt something tap against her shoulder. She turned and found a picture frame being shoved against her. She took the picture and took a good look at it. She gasped and nearly dropped it. Dante took it and set it next to the nearest lamp.

"What is that? The woman in that picture. . ."

". . .was Trish, right?"

"Yes."

"No, it wasn't. That picture was of my mother. She's been dead since before you were born."

Lilith understood what he was implying. "You don't believe the fact that Trish is a dead ringer is a coincidence. You think she was made to look that way on purpose."

"Bingo. She said that she's the only one to survive being hunted by an extermination squad. We've barely managed to survive their attacks. There's no way she could have. They let her get away."

"Or were never chasing her in the first place."

"The latter is exactly what we were thinking."

"How do you know that for sure?"

"Isn't it better to be suspicious and wrong than trusting and wrong?"

"Yes."

"All right then. You've answered your own question."

Lilith returned her attention to the window. She saw a meteor wink out above. "I wonder what's happening to Vergil right now."

(X)

Vergil fell to his knees. A black ooze wrapped itself around his neck and quickly worked its way into his nose and mouth. He felt it fill every body cavity with an ice cold sensation. He fought its desire to leech into his mind.

He saw Trish's feet as she walked around to stand in front of him. Filled with rage and the urge to kill, he reached out for her foot. She stepped back to let him fall completely to the floor.  
"You bitch!"

"I'm sorry," Trish said. She sounded genuinely concerned, which served to anger Vergil even more. "I am merely a servant."

"Mundus won't win. We won't let him."

"You are in no position to make such a judgment."

"I don't have to be." Vergil gagged as the ooze pulled itself into his stomach. He rolled onto his back and went into convulsions.

"Stop fighting it," Trish said. "You will only make it more painful."

Vergil continued to struggle, but he felt himself slip away with each spasm. Each breath he took made him weaker. The invading essence took full advantage of each increase in its strength. With the final struggle, Vergil closed his eyes. "Dante. Lilith. I'm sorry."

(X)  
  
Dante stopped halfway up the staircase. A severe cramp seized his gut. He bit down on his lower lip. He did not move again until the pain subsided. Before it was completely gone, he ran the rest of the way upstairs and into the bathroom to vomit. Half of what came up was blood.

"Oh shit," he said. "Something's happened to Vergil."

He straightened and grabbed a towel. When he wiped his face, he saw Lilith standing in the doorway. Her face betrayed her panic. "What's happening?" She figured it out just from looking at him. "It's Vergil. Is he dead?" Her voice cracked at the end.

"I don't know." Dante leaned forward in an attempt to fight back another urge to vomit. He heard his brother's voice scream in his head, then gradually fade until it died. He slowly lowered the towel completely from his face. "They have him."

Lilith backed away. She found herself fighting to keep her own stomach calm. "Now what?"

"They already told us what they want. They want us to go to Mallet Island, so we shall."

(X)

"Well," Kerlak asked. "What do you think now?" She inhaled the thick belladonna smoke as she threw what used to be Vergil down the stairs. She walked after him and casually stepped over him into the chamber.

"You got him. So what? What are you going to do with him?" Mundus blew the last of the smoke from his lungs.

"He's one of us now. Naturally we put him to work."

"Bring him over here."

Kerlak grabbed Vergil's collar and effortlessly dragged him to where Mundus was sitting. She rolled him onto his back. Mundus leaned over him and blew smoke across his face. He did not respond. He was perfectly still as if he'd been paralyzed. He wouldn't even blink.

"I don't know if he'll be of any use to us," Mundus said. "Are you sure he's not dead?"

"Trish said everything went as planned. The parasite shouldn't be strong enough to kill him."

Mundus poked at Vergil with the glass pipe until he heard Vergil inhale through the back of his throat. He took a final drag from the pipe before tossing it aside. He placed his hand over Vergil's face. The parasite reached out from Vergil's nostrils and mouth. The tendrils wrapped themselves around Mundus's hand. Mundus pulled them around as if to play with them. A few minutes afterwards, the tendrils released his hand and pulled back into Vergil's body.

"What did you just do?" Kerlak asked.

"I baptized him."

"Strange choice of words."

"But appropriate. When he regains his strength and stands on his own two feet, he will no longer be Vergil."

Kerlak tilted her head. "Then he will need a new name. How about using him to replace Koromos?"

"Koromos is a pain, but he has his uses. Moving on."

"He will need something spiteful. Something that will insult his heritage."

"You think too much," Mundus teased. "Settle for something simple, like Nelo Angelo."

"What does that mean?"

"Nelo Angelo, the Black Angel. It's simple and to the point."

Kerlak shrugged indifferently. "I guess it's all right."

Neither one of them noticed Vergil's hand twitching. His mind was in another world. He saw his future and hoped for death. His mind saw more as what Mundus had planned for him ran through his mind like a movie. Toward the end he found what he was looking for. Though he could barely move, he had just enough control to smile. Mundus and Kerlak never saw it.

(X)

"Here we go again," Dante said as they stepped onto the stairs leading to the castle.

"What if he's not here?" Lilith asked behind him.

"Oh, he's here," Dante said. "I can feel it." Dante didn't make a move towards the castle. Lilith dared to walk around him and continue towards the castle. Neither realized anything was amiss until she reached the entrance. When she stepped inside, she heard the sound of scraping stone. She turned in time to watch the entrance disappear before her eyes.

"Oh, damn," she muttered as she faced the blank wall. "I'll have to take the long way around. I wonder how much has changed."

"Not much, Princess."

"Trish." Lilith turned back to the main hall. Trish was sitting on the edge of the statue of the horse and warrior in the center of the room. She was dressed in black leather from head to toe. "How did you get out of the Mithras Tower?" Lilith asked.

Trish opened a pair of shades and put them on. "Vergil let me out. He was quite cooperative."  
"I don't believe you. You did something to him. Why didn't he come home?"

"He decided on a career change."

Lilith innately reached for Rebellion. Trish took that as her signal to start running. "Where are you leading me?" Lilith asked as she chased after her. Trish led her into a narrow hallway. Halfway through, Lilith skidded to a stop. Familiar phantasmal whining filled the corridor. She pulled her guns free as Sin Scissors slipped from the walls.

She saw Trish disappear around the corner. "I don't have time for this." She waited for most of the Sin Scissors to slide partially into the wall. She vaulted herself forward to run the gauntlet. Sin Scissors pulled back through for an opportunity to snag a part of her. She quickly but carefully dodged each thrust and snap of the ghostly scissors.

A Sin Scissors leapt from the wall in front of her. She flipped over it and let loose a barrage of sparkling bullets. The mask shattered as she hit the floor. She continued down the hallway after Trish. She turned the corner and, without thinking, went through the door.

She realized quickly that she had never been in this room before. The whole floor was covered with a red carpet. Trish was on the other side of the room leaning against a pillar. "It took you long enough?" Trish teased.

"You led me through a hall of Sin Scissors. What do you want here?"

"There is nothing I want."

"So you were just following orders?"

"What else should I do?"

"What did you do to my uncle Vergil!"

"Oh, right to the point. Don't worry; he is here on the island."

"Where?"

Trish walked towards the center of the room. She walked up a shallow staircase where a pedestal was sitting. "It is not my place to say. I don't have a tracking device on him. He wanders freely."

"So you're going to make us look for him?"

"No. He's looking for you. So he can kill you."

Her words made Lilith uneasy. "He would never."

Trish turned to face her at the top of the shallow stairs. Her expression was excessively smug. "We'll see."

Lilith was ready to wring Trish's neck. She took a few steps towards Trish. Lilith was suddenly stopped by the sound of something large crashing into the room. Lilith jumped back as the something in question landed between her and Trish. She got a good look at it. It was a giant spider with a scorpion tail. Its skin was covered with some sort of stone armor. In its joints and other places where there were breaches in its skin, its insides seemed to be made of lava.

"Take care of her," Trish yelled, "and I'll deal with the other one!"

Lilith saw Trish leap through a window. "Always follow the instincts."

"This shouldn't take too long, little girl," the spider scorpion said. It talked as if its mouth was full of gravel. "I, the Phantom, will ferry you into Hell to serve my master Mundus."

"I doubt that. You obviously don't know whom you're messing with."

"Then let me find out."

Lilith prepared to step back. A pillar of lava burst from beneath her and knocked her into the air. She landed on her feet and rolled. Another lava burst appeared where she had landed. She ran through the room with the lava bursts right behind her. She made her way around to Phantom.  
He saw her preparing to jump over him. He charged at her. Lilith jumped straight up with Rebellion in hand. From above she saw a large open spot on his back. She landed and hit her mark. Phantom shrieked and swung at her with his tail. The tip of it punctured her chest. Phantom lifted her off his back.

"You won't be so lucky again." He swung and threw her against one of the pillars. Before her feet hit the floor, she activated her devil trigger. Phantom was visibly shaken by what she'd done. He swung his tail at her again. She disappeared in a blur. Phantom was assaulted on all sides by lightning and ice. Then she dropped from the air and plunged the sword through his back again.  
Phantom thrust his tail at her again. She vaulted from his back and hovered over him. She shook drops of lava from the sword. "You're a demon!" Phantom yelled. "How dare you!"

"Give up now," Lilith demanded, "and you will walk away alive."

"Who are you to give me orders!"

"Fine. I am the First Goddess Lilith Sparda, daughter of Dante, the Second God and emperor of this region. You wanted to know, and now you do."

"You are gods?" Phantom's tail swayed from side to side. "How ridiculous. What gives you the right?"

"My father and uncle are the sons of the First God Sparda, the one who led them back here."

"And this war began," Phantom added.

"But it ends here today."

"It does." Another lava pillar erupted from the ground. This time, Lilith remained where she was. The flames passed harmlessly over her. When the fire died, Lilith disappeared again. Phantom shrieked when it felt something slice through its tail. Lilith pulled it free from his body. Lava spilled in all directions from the wound.

Phantom roared and pulled himself along the floor. Lilith drove the tail through Phantom's back. The tip went all the way through and pinned Phantom to the floor. Lilith became human again and dropped onto Phantom's head. She instantly found the soft spot closest to his head. She plunged Rebellion through and began hacking away as fast as she could. Phantom flopped and bucked to get her off his back.

The final flop threw her to the floor. The sword sliced through his head as she fell over. She rolled away and stood to prepare for another attack. Phantom's head hit the floor in two separate pieces. Lilith breathed in relief as the lava flowed over the floor.

"Now to find Dad and that treacherous bitch Trish." Lilith leapt over Phantom's body onto the pedestal. A second leap sent her through the window that Trish had jumped through earlier. She landed safely on solid ground. She looked around to gauge her location. In the distance, she saw someone standing on a wall. At first she thought it was her father. Then she was overcome with a sense of dread. "Oh my god. That's Vergil."

(X)  
  
Dante pushed the door open and stared out over the empty space. He walked out onto the grass for a better look. Behind him was the castle, and ahead was just rock. There were doors on either side, but he guessed they were locked. He turned at the sound of growling and hissing. A reptilian creature on all fours, something like a large lizard, was creeping towards him. Dante tightened his grip on the Merciless.

The creature never made more than three steps. Another figure fell from the sky. A sword plunged through the creature's back. The person pulled the sword free and hacked into the creature's head. When it finally stopped moving, the person stood and looked at Dante.

Dante knew something was wrong. "Vergil, what did they do to you?"

Vergil didn't speak at first. He seemed dazed and confused. "Dante?"

"Come with me."

"No!" Vergil clamped his eyes shut as he struggled with something inside. "I can't. Vergil is dead."

"I won't let them win." Dante stepped towards him.

Vergil quickly stopped him by raising his sword. Dante instantly recognized it as the Force Edge. "You have to leave," Vergil said.

"You know I can't."

"Then you have to die."

"You can't kill me, Vergil. Otherwise, you would have let that creature have its chance at me."

"Vergil is dead. I am Nelo Angelo, your executioner."


	6. Betrayal By Blood

Betrayal by Blood  
  
Dante watched in silent horror as Vergil became something else. His skin darkened to deep gray, and his eyes glowed red. The black ooze that infected his body dripped from his nostrils and the side of his mouth. He thoughtlessly wiped the side of his mouth. The ooze grabbed a hold of the Force Edge and spread across it from Vergil's hand to the tip of the blade. The sword was transformed into something completely different. The blade became dark and twisted like its wielder and glowed an eerie cerulean. Vergil took on the appearance of his devil trigger.

"Don't you dare raise that sword against me," Dante threatened.

Vergil raised his head as if to speak, but his voice failed him. He did the very thing he was ordered not to. Dante raised Merciless in response.

(X)

Lilith leapt from the highest point of the castle. She landed on a lower part of the castle with a glass roof. She looked down and saw the warrior and horse statue in the main hall. She looked up when she heard someone whistle. She stood and was greeted by Trish. "Get out of my way," Lilith threatened.

Trish shook her head. "I can't do that. I can't let you get to Dante."

"Why not?"

"Because he and Vergil are having a brother to brother talk."

"What did you do to Vergil?"

"What difference does it make? I was just following orders. Besides, they never trusted me anyway. They took precautions and still lost."

"And you will pay for it."

"I'm sorry that Phantom could not take care of you. It looks like I'll have to do his job for him."

"Just step aside."

"Oh," Trish said. "I thought you were going to kill me."

Lilith and Trish stared each other down for several moments. Trish finally took one step to the side. Lilith sprung into action. Trish stepped farther aside just as Lilith's fist slammed into where Trish had been standing. Trish jumped as the glass shattered under her feet. Lilith chased after her. She was completely intent on going through with her threat.

Trish led Lilith over and through the castle into parts that Lilith was unfamiliar with. Eventually, Trish led her to a dark bedroom. Trish continued through the room and out over the balcony. Lilith stopped and slipped to the floor.

"Who do you have waiting out there for me this time?" Lilith took the time to look into a large mirror on her right. She was almost surprised. "So, here is your goddess and future empress. What happened to make me like this?" She lowered closer to the floor until her long platinum white hair brushed the floor. "Here we go." She looked straight ahead and lifted herself as if to start a race. She took a deep breath and launched herself up and over the balcony. She landed neatly on her feet and stood. Trish had disappeared again, but Lilith wasn't surprised.

"Who are you? Whom has she thrown at me this time?" The man before her bowed. Lilith's eyes widened with recognition. "You're Mundus's son Koromos."

"Yep." Lilith forced herself to remain still as he approached her. He walked a circle around her and looked her over. "It's been a while. I missed you."

"You've been trying to kill me since I was a baby, and you have the nerve to say you miss me? Does your father know about this?"

"Yes." Koromos stopped in front of her. "Don't blame me for the assassination attempts. It was my father's idea. I swear."

"Don't give me that excuse."

"All right. But I swear, I had no idea you'd be so beautiful. You are naturally divine, just as the First Goddess should be."

Koromos reached up to touch her face. Lilith smacked it aside. He seized her overcoat and pulled her in for a kiss. She let him get away with it for three seconds before she kicked him in the groin. When he doubled over, she delivered an uppercut to his jaw. He staggered backwards but didn't fall. He looked at her without one tinge of surprise as he cracked his jaw.

"You haven't changed a bit. I like that in a woman."

"There's plenty more where that came from. All you have to do is ask." Lilith motioned for him to approach her, and he happily obeyed.

(X)

Vergil dodged Dante's thrust and swung for his head. Dante ducked and countered with a blow to Vergil's chest with the sword hilt. Vergil faltered for a second. It was a second too many. Dante plunged Merciless into Vergil's abdomen. Dante showed no surprise when Vergil stepped back and pulled himself off the blade.

Vergil breathed deeply for several breaths, as if to contemplate something. Dante could not bring himself to attack when Vergil wasn't ready. Vergil suddenly swung the sword again. Dante parried and swung back. Vergil stepped back and kicked Dante flat in the chest. Dante staggered a few steps. Vergil raised his sword, but he hesitated.

"Don't do that," Dante said. "If you're going to fight, then do it like a man." Dante began breathing heavily. Something warm ran from his right eye.

(X)

Lilith blocked the kick to her side. She aimed at Koromos's face with her palm. He seized her wrist and twisted it behind her back. She stomped his toe, spun, and pushed him back with a kick. Koromos reached for a sword hanging from his hip. Lilith reached for Rebellion and held it over her head. Tiny bolts of lightning ran across the blade.

"Are you going to shoot me with those?" Korormos asked.

Lilith's only response was to swing her sword. Lightning flashed with each successful hit. Koromos blocked every hit, but she would not let him attack back. Koromos altered his strategy to push her against a wall, but she wouldn't let him do that either. With one thrust of his sword, she jumped over it and flipped over his head. Lilith plunged Rebellion through his back. She lifted Koromos a few inches off the ground. He slid a little ways down the blade.

"You know," he said over his shoulder, "this is a lot more fun than I thought."

"What do you want?" Lilith asked. "I've never heard of someone hitting on a woman trying to kill him."

"You don't know me that well, then." Koromos pulled himself from the sword. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. Lilith raised Rebellion to plunge it down the length of his spine. She hesitated for one second; she couldn't attack him from behind while he was on the ground. That second was all the time he needed. He gripped his sword tighter and swung around for her feet. Lilith flipped over the sword and spun to the ground. She swung out for the closest thing Rebellion could reach. The sword went halfway through Koromos's neck. He fell onto his back with the blade still embedded in his neck.

Lilith did not released the sword. She could see Koromos still breathing. She sat astride his chest and placed her other hand against the tip of the blade. She was startled when Koromos spoke.

"May I make one last request?"

Lilith pressed a little harder against the sword. "It depends. Not all dying men deserve a last request."

"What makes you think I'm going to die?" Lilith had no time to react. Koromos clutched her shoulders and pulled her down. She held her breath as he planted another kiss against her lips. She didn't know why she didn't fight back. She pressed down against the sword. She tasted blood that welled into his mouth. When he finally let her go, she sat up and spat the blood to the side. "That's all I ever wanted," was the last thing she heard Koromos say before his body went limp.

"I'm sorry Mundus had to be your father." She applied more force against the blade until it completely severed Koromos's head. "You could have gotten more if he weren't."

Lilith stood and wiped the blade against Koromos's clothes. She tilted her head back. She could faintly hear the sounds of another battle in the distance. Lilith jumped up to the balcony and pulled herself over. She walked through the bedroom and inside to the staircase. She was overcome with the sound of buzzing. She threw herself off the staircase and landed on the distant floor below. She whipped out her guns, dropped flat to her back, and began shooting at giant insects.

(X)  
  
Trish stood on the edge of the building. She silently watched the battle between brothers below. She watched in terror as Dante transformed. What she saw was completely different from what she expected. He had become something different from what she'd been told. His wings were lines with metallic razors. Bone shards burst through his skin at the elbows and knees. His hair had grown to his knees and was moving around as if it had its own life.

"That is not good." Trish watched as the twins commenced with a new battle. She was so surprised that she didn't notice she had a visitor until she felt cold steel against her throat.

"I'll get you this time," Lilith said as she pressed the knife into Trish's flesh.

"Third time's the charm. I'm surprised that Koromos, of all people, couldn't finish the job. I knew he was too soft for you. Is he dead?"

"You'd better believe it."

"Given the circumstances, Mundus wouldn't want it any other way."

"He shall say the same for you." Lilith plunged the blade into Trish's neck. Trish threw herself out of Lilith's reach and pulled the knife free. Lilith made no move to reduce the space between them. "Now you must pay in blood."

"Consider this a down payment." Trish threw the knife back at her. Before Lilith could catch it, Trish charged at her. Trish snatched the knife in the middle of its flight and tackled Lilith. Trish landed astride Lilith's chest. Trish held the knife towards Lilith's throat. Lilith had a grip on Trish's wrists to push them away, but Trish was a lot stronger than she appeared to be.

"It appears," Trish said, "that you're the one who'll be paying in blood. What will the people say when they discover that their First Goddess is a mere mortal?"

"You have to kill me first. It will take more than a knife in the neck to do that."

"Perhaps." Trish pushed down harder. "I am a demon also. You cannot overcome me. Ever." The tip of the blade pressed against Lilith's skin. She was almost distracted by the sloppy sound of metal piercing flesh below. "Do you wish to know which one is near his end?" Trish teased. "It is hard to tell without looking. They are twins, after all."

Lilith inhaled deeply as she struggled against Trish. "My father will not allow you to get away."

"What will it matter? How do you even know he's okay?"

Lilith felt the blade break the skin. Trish gave it one more push before faltering. It wasn't enough for Lilith to take advantage of, but it was enough to reveal something was wrong. It was a while before Lilith realized what happened. Her eyes had filled with blood.

"It won't matter if you transform," Trish finally said. "Your fate is sealed."

"Indeed, it is," a third voice said. For a split second, Trish knew it wasn't Dante or Vergil's voice. A katana style blade burst from Trish's neck. Lilith cringed as blood gushed onto her face. A shadow blocked the sky above Trish. The knife fell to the side as Trish's hand became limp. The dark figure pulled the sword free. It grabbed Trish by her throat and tossed her aside. Lilith could here Trish's raspy breath in her ear.

Lilith tried to speak, but her voice was defiant. She could clearly see the person above her. At first, it appeared to be a demon. He raised the sword and plunged it next to Lilith's head. It missed her by less than a centimeter. The figure suddenly became human before her. Her mouth fell open as she recognized his significance. He looked remarkably like her father and uncle, and she knew that was no coincidence. He reached down to wipe the blood from her face.

"This is my gift to you," the man said. "It is only half. To get the other, remember to look to my sons."

"What?"

The figure brushed over her, and he disappeared with a breeze. As he passed over her, she felt Rebellion slide from under her. He had taken the sword. She knew that if she looked up, he'd be gone. She looked at the new sword next to her head.

"I suppose this is mine now." She turned her head to get a look at what was happening below. She was horrified at what she saw.

(X)  
  
Vergil knocked Merciless from Dante's hand. Dante didn't miss it. Vergil swung for another attack. Dante's hair snapped around Vergil's wrists. It pulled and tossed him around until Vergil dropped his sword.

Vergil pulled on the hair to draw Dante towards him. Vergil circled him to wrap the hair around Dante's neck. Dante instantly released him. Vergil smashed his fist into Dante's chest. At the same time, Dante's wing swung across Vergil's arm. The razor edges cleaved through Vergil's flesh. Vergil did not realize what happened until he tried to strike Dante again. His arm ripped halfway off his body.

Vergil clutched the wound and backed away. Dante remained prepared to defend himself, but he had a feeling it was no longer necessary. Vergil fell to his knees and bowed his head. For the first time since the fight began, Vergil spoke.

"You have to finish this." His hand began to slip as blood flowed over it. He knew this wound would not heal. When Dante made no move, Vergil looked up at him. "What are you doing? Do you think you're doing me a favor?"

Dante simply shook his head. "Then do something," Vergil said. "You can't save me. Not the way you want to. It's eating me alive from the inside. Soon I really will be dead. The least you could do is let me die the easy way." Dante shook his head again.

"What do you expect to do?" Vergil asked. Black ooze leaked from his nose and eyes. Vergil leaned forward. He fought back the urge to scream. Dante continued to hesitate. Vergil raised his head. More black ooze flowed heavily from his mouth. "Please," he said. "I'm begging you."  
Dante still refused. Vergil turned to look at Lilith. She stood there on the ground with a sword in hand. "If you won't do it, then maybe she will." Vergil stood and stumbled towards Lilith. She remained perfectly still as he placed a hand over her face. "Do you believe that I will hurt you?"

"No," she said. "I don't."

Vergil dropped his hand. "Then you will die for that." The black ooze in his mouth shot out and forced its way into Lilith's mouth. Before it had a chance to ram its way down her throat, it suddenly grew cold and withdrew. There was a quick metallic whistle and breeze. Blood splashed across her face. Vergil smiled. "Don't worry. I forgive you." Before her eyes, Vergil's head fell free from his neck and rolled a little ways. His body fell forward. She shrieked and jumped back.

Lilith's breath was quick and shallow. Her brain refused to compute what just happened. Dante returned to human form and faced her. She was becoming light-headed, but she couldn't regain control of her breath.

"Let's go," Dante ordered. He forced his voice to remain steady, but he felt it almost crack at the end.

"What?" Lilith managed to whisper between gasps.

Dante heard her anyway. "Let's go. We're done here. There's more work to do elsewhere." He leaned forward and pried the Force Edge from Vergil's hand. It reverted to its original form.

"How could you?" Lilith regained some control of her breath. "You just killed your brother. How could you just go on like that?"

"Don't cry." Dante's voice was tinged with a threat. "I mean it. Don't you dare shed one tear."  
Lilith felt her despair compounded with anger. "Why not?"

"Devils don't cry."

Before he could turn away, Lilith exploded with uncontrolled rage. "How dare you! Is this how you reacted to my mother's death, too!"

Dante glared at her. "Now is not the time."

"If not now, when? How can you live like this?"

"Like what!" Dante approached her until he was nearly on top of her. "I just killed my own brother. Do you think I enjoyed it?"

"I don't think it bothered you. What else can I think? How can I believe anything matters to you anymore? You don't even act as if death means anything to you. Not even the death of those you love."

"Don't you dare make such an assumption about me. We're in a war. There is no room for sympathy on the battlefield."

In wanton defiance, Lilith cried. Dante reached out to her, but she smacked his hand away. "We have other things to do," she said sarcastically. She walked away from him. It was then Dante noticed the sword she carried.

"What is that?"

Lilith raised her head. "What?"

"That sword. Where did you get it?"

Lilith looked down at the sword in her hand. "I don't know. Someone left it to me. He said it was his gift to me. I don't know whom it was."

Dante tilted his head in deep thought. "I do, but it's impossible."

"What do you mean?"

"That sword is Yamato. It's one of the two swords my father carried."

"What?" Lilith felt herself go limp. "Are you suggesting I was visited by a ghost?"

"No, but I do know what that sword is, regardless of where it came from." He knelt beside Vergil's body. "We'll worry about all of this when we have time. I understand what you're thinking, but it really has to wait. We'll mourn later. I promise." Dante pulled Vergil's coat open. A red medallion fell from what used to be Vergil's neck.

Lilith looked away in disgust. "What is that?"

Dante stood and held it up. "It was something our mother gave us long ago." He removed an identical item from around his own neck. "They were two halves of one thing. We swore as children that when one of us died, the other would rejoin the pieces." He pressed the two together until they snapped.

"Dad," Lilith said suddenly, "There's something strange going on with the Force Edge."

Dante put the pendant around his neck. "What do you mean?"

"Look and see for yourself."


	7. Redemption

Redemption

Mundus held his eyes open against the sunlight. It was his first time on Mallet Island for over twenty-five years, but it didn't seem to matter until Koromos lost it in battle. Broken glass crunched under his feet as he circumnavigated the main hall. Clumps of giant marionettes were piled around the room. Mundus finally sat on the edge of the statue and pulled out a bong. In a few minutes, the room was filled with the smell of smoldering belladonna. All he did was smoke and wait.

(X)

Dante and Lilith kneeled over what was left of the glass roof. They could see Mundus below. "What is that smell?" Lilith asked softly.

"Belladonna, beautiful woman. It's a poisonous plant. He's getting high."

"He's a drug addict?"

"Uh huh." Dante leaned further over until he dropped into free fall. Lilith rolled and fell after him. They landed in total silence, but it didn't matter.

"I know you're back there," Mundus said without turning around. He blew a ring through his nose. "Brats of Sparda. I hear you've lost your Third God Vergil. What a shame." He took another hit from the bong. Dante unconsciously reached for his sword. "Don't bother attacking," Mundus said. "You won't get to me easily."

As if on cue, the limp piles of marionettes sat up. Thin strings attached to empty air pulled them to their feet. With a smile, Mundus rotated on his seat. His smile had a short life span. "What the hell?"

"What is it?" Dante asked. "See something you don't like?"

Mundus dropped the bong. It shattered upon impact. "Those swords. Where did you get them?"

"What do you think?" Dante held his own sword to his side. It was a large flaming red blade. "It was left by my father. Who else?"

"Impossible. Sparda is dead."

"That is the word on the street. Not that it makes any difference."

Lilith turned to the sound of wood scraping against wood. The giant dolls were on the move. She elbowed Dante in his ribs. "Dad. Dad. We're in trouble."

"I know." Dante watched Mundus run up the staircase. "Let's deal with them first. Stay by my side and watch where you swing."

The first thing Lilith did was disobey the first order. She ran headlong into the nearest horde of Bloody Puppets. Mundus kept his eye on her as she sent Marionettes flying in every direction. He gradually backed away from the staircase as Dante and Lilith shredded each Marionette two or three at a time. He had backed against the wall by the time the final puppet shattered on the extended tip of Sparda.

Lilith looked up to where Mundus was standing. She saw him with only half of his body sticking out of the wall above. Before she could say anything about it, Dante grabbed her arm and spun her to face him.

"What compels you to disobey me!"

Lilith's reaction was unusually stoic. "Stop yelling at me. You didn't even notice that Mundus disappeared." She pointed up to where Mundus had vanished.

Dante shoved her hand down and put a finger into her face. "You're going to stop being a smartass."

"I'm not a child." She was almost begging.

"You're not an adult either. Bitch about it when we get home. Until then, shut up and do as I say."

Lilith sighed with frustration. "Fine."

Dante walked away from her without saying a word. Lilith followed him through the castle. "Where are you going?" she called after him. He still said nothing. She stayed as close to him as possible as she became increasingly unaware of where they were going. She suddenly realized that she had no idea where he was leading her. Not once did Dante even look back to see if she were still behind him.

Part of the way through, she stopped to look back at where they'd come from. They were in a twisted hallway that seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat. She felt as if she were familiar with this horrid place, though she'd never seen it before. She didn't return to her senses until Dante called to her from farther down the hall.

She saw Dante standing on the other side of a weird puddle on the floor. "What is this place?" she asked.

Dante tugged on one of his gloves. "Are you familiar with it?"

Lilith shrugged. "I guess so, but I shouldn't be. I've never seen this part of the castle before."

"It's a genetic memory."

"And that means?"

"We're about to step into the Underworld. My homeland."

"Your . . .?" Lilith fell silent as she realized what he was telling her. "A hereditary disposition?"

"In a way. Step into the puddle." Not waiting for a response, he jumped forward into the puddle. Lilith watched in shock as he sank completely through the floor. She faltered for a moment until she felt something tugging at her mind. She could hear her father encouraging, and demanding, she jump into the puddle. She couldn't tell if it were real or imaginary.

"What the hell?" She took a deep breath and jumped in.

Below, Dante quickly stepped back before she landed on top of him. She stood up clutching her head. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"The voices. I can't think. There are screams in my head!"

At first, Dante didn't know what she was talking about. When he finally stopped to listen, he realized that there were indeed voices screaming in the background. As a child living in the Underworld, he didn't notice them, like a noise that no one was aware of until it fell silent. When his family escaped to Earth, the Upperworld did seem to be unnaturally calm. He pulled Lilith's hands from her head.

"You have to fight them back yourself."

"How?"

"Push them away. It's only background noise. Don't resist hearing it."

Lilith slowly began to relax. The sounds gradually faded until they were common to her. "How could you live like this?"

Dante realized he was squeezing her arms. He pried his fingers from her one at a time. "I didn't know any better at the time. Let's go, and don't lag behind. Mundus is waiting for us."

Dante turned to walk away. Lilith took only one step after him before two pairs of giant arms lifted from the floor around her. She didn't have time to scream. One hand covered her face while the other three lifted her from the floor. In a frantic attempt to signal for help, she shot a lightning bolt in Dante's direction, even at the risk of hitting him. The bolt blazed past his head and hit the pulsing wall. It breached the wall and caused fluid to leak to the floor. Dante grabbed Sparda and flung it towards her. A spinning red scythe severed all four arms from the floor. Lilith fell to the floor. She reached up to catch Sparda on its return flight. A second set of hands emerged and covered her. She melted with them into the floor as Sparda flew over her.

Dante caught Sparda as it spun to him. "Damn you, Mundus. If you harm my daughter, I'll kill you twice over." He heard something screech behind him. He turned to face a reptilian creature shaking its head at him. "You'll be the first to die."

(X)

Lilith waited until the sensation of being pushed through water passed. She awoke lying on the floor. The arms were still covering her. She looked straight up. She was under a night sky. She could see everything above as if she were on Earth.

"It's a chimera," Mundus said. "An illusion." Lilith couldn't move her head to search for him. She simply waited until he kneeled beside her. "There is no sky down here. We're actually indoors. I thought it would be the last thing you would want to see. If you scream, I'll at least attempt to kill you."

The hand covering her face moved to the side. Mundus shoved his index finger into her mouth. "Don't bother biting me. Your teeth are incapable of even breaking the skin."

Lilith was afraid to swallow, else she would risk giving him the wrong idea. In the end, it didn't matter. Mundus shoved his middle finger into her mouth. Her tongue protested. In response, Mundus pushed both fingers as far as he could into her throat. He pulled them back just a little when she began to gag.

"Did you know that Koromos was in love with you?" he asked when she'd calmed down. "He had this crazy idea that if we defeated your father and uncle, he could keep you as some sort of concubine. He wasn't very bright." He shoved his ring finger into her mouth. All the arms released Lilith. Mundus let her thrash about on the floor as he shoved all three fingers into her mouth. She flashed in and out of her devil form, but she still could not break free from his grip. When she finally calmed down, Mundus leaned over her.

"My son would not have succeeded. I, on the other hand, would not have been so foolish as to love you. That is unnecessary to fulfill my needs, and that you shall do. With Koromos dead, something must be done to fill his spot."

Simultaneously terrified and disgusted by his suggestion, Lilith seized his wrist and tried to push his hand away. He didn't budge at all. Lilith finally ceased all resistance. "It's about damn time," Mundus taunted. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

His attention was stolen by the sound of the double doors opening. Mundus scowled. Lilith saw a demon with long white hair and razor sharp wings fly across the room. He landed onto Mundus's back and plunged Sparda through it. The sword pinned Mundus to the floor. While Mundus was occupied pushing himself up off the sword, Dante grabbed Lilith's feet and dragged her away. When he was sure she was at a safe distance, he ran to Mundus, snatched the sword, and pulled it back out. He backtracked a bit to maintain distance.

"You're earlier than I hoped," Mundus said as he stood. "I was just about to make your daughter my new wife."

Dante returned to his human form. "Not in this universe. Not in any universe."

Lilith rolled over and sat up. "I'll kill him myself."

"No!" Dante held his arm out to her. "Let me do this alone."

Lilith smirked. "Not in this universe. Not in any universe." She jumped to his side with Yamato in hand.

Mundus wiped the side of his mouth with his thumb. "That's fine by me. I'll take you both on."

"Brave words for a druggie."

"Bitch."

Dante and Lilith separated to attack on opposite sides. Mundus swung his arm out towards Lilith. An energy blast knocked her back and several feet into the air. With his other hand, Mundus blocked Dante's swing with his forearm. Dante spun with the momentum and swung again. With each swing, Mundus blocked and parried with his arms.

Lilith stood in the distance. Rather than join the clash, she held her hand behind her back and created a fireball in her palm. She circled around to keep a good view of Mundus's back.

With a final parry, Mundus knocked Sparda from Dante's hand. Dante spun on his heel and kicked Mundus in the chest. Mundus sailed backwards. He landed on his hands and the balls of his feet. He pushed himself up to look at Dante.

"Very impressive," Mundus commented. "I've been underestimating you."

Dante didn't respond. When she was sure no one was expecting her to move, Lilith flipped through the air and landed feet first onto Mundus's back. Mundus pushed himself up and flipped onto his back. Lilith landed onto his abdomen. Streams of lightning and fire shot through her feet and ripped through Mundus's body. Dante jumped back as bolts of lightning and fire tore through the marble floor. Mundus screamed as the marble floor heaved and cracked. With the final scream, Mundus grabbed Lilith's ankles and pushed her over his head. She stumbled forward and dragged herself to a safe distance behind her father.

Mundus sat up and jumped back. He wiped drool from the side of his face. "How did you do that?"

"I can't answer that," Lilith and Dante answered simultaneously.

Mundus shook his head. Then he launched an energy sphere at Dante. Dante jumped up to dodge. When he was out of the way, Lilith held her hand up. The energy sphere exploded against an invisible shield and dispersed around her. Dante landed behind her. He gathered the escaping energy into his own hands. When Mundus finished his attack, Lilith rolled to the side just before Dante threw back the energy he'd caught. The beam shot through Mundus's body. His bones glowed through his skin. When Dante had used it all, Mundus dropped to the floor again. His bones were still glowing.

Lilith stared up at her father in awe. "How did you do that?"

"How did you do what you did?"

Mundus tried to push himself up. His bones felt as if they were going soft. "What did you do to me?" He coughed blood onto the floor.

"It was your power," Dante said. "In a way, you did it to yourself." He lifted his hand slowly. A fireball burst into life in his palm. "If you surrender, I'll kill you quickly."

Mundus tilted his head. His eyes seemed to be peering into a distance behind them. "Are you serious?"

"As a tax audit."

A low glottal laugh escaped from Mundus. He stopped laughing just long enough to cough up more blood. "Your family never ceases to be a source of amusement for me."

"We are not sources of amusement," Lilith said as she stood to her feet. She waited for Mundus to stand before she suddenly charged at him. With an unexpected surge of strength, Mundus reached out and grabbed her by her throat. He lifted her off the floor and held her over his head.

"You want this?" he asked Dante casually. Dante looked as if he were seriously contemplating the question. Lilith kicked out against Mundus's side, but he wouldn't budge. "Hurry up," Mundus urged. "I'm about to crush her throat."

In a moment of panic, Lilith let lightning surge through her body. The shock made Mundus drop her. She grabbed the Yamato and plunged it into his side. At the same time, Dante launched the fireball at him. The momentum forced him to fly backwards. The Yamato slid free. Lilith jumped after him and drove the Yamato into his forehead. She pushed it all the way into the floor.

"Heads up!" Lilith leapt over him. Dante came behind her and drove Sparda into Mundus's chest. He gave the sword a single twist before backing off.

Mundus seized the Yamato by the blade and tried to pull it out. Blood caused his hands to slip, in turn causing the blade to cut him even more. He reached for the hilt, but it was just barely out of his reach.

Lilith raised her arms as she hit her devil trigger. On the other side, Dante did the same. Mundus was too busy trying to pull himself off the swords to realize what they were doing. A beam of lightning burst to life between Lilith's hands. It grounded itself through the floor and into Mundus. His body wracked by pain, Mundus remained focused on getting free of the swords. He pushed himself up a bit to get a better grip on the Yamato's handle. Lilith lifted herself into the air to avoid the bursts of lightning breaking through the floor. A second beam of lightning from Dante's hands joined with the first.

Mundus screamed as he pushed his head further up on the sword. His grabbed the Yamato's hilt and pulled on it. Sparda still protruded from his chest. He stood in the middle of the lightning assault. With a wave of one of his arms, Dante and Lilith were thrown back to the floor by an invisible force. To everyone's surprise, the lightning continued to flash through the room.

Dante watched as Mundus stood. Both swords were still sticking from his body. "Do not think you can kill me," Mundus said. "You cannot defeat me. Not even with the swords of the First God."

Lilith stood as her hands burst into flame. She ran to Mundus and punched his back. Her hand broke through his skin and was sucked inside his chest. Lilith pulled her hand back, but she could not get it free.

"Can you see this?" Mundus asked Dante with a laugh. "If you intend to kill me, you'll have to take her too."

Lilith felt for the tip of Sparda in Mundus's chest. Risking her own hand, she seized the tip and tried to push against it. "I feel what you're trying to do," Mundus said. He squeezed the muscles in his chest. Lilith screamed as her hand was almost crushed from the pressure. Dante snatched Sparda and the Yamato and pulled them from Mundus's body. Lilith screamed again as the pain was transferred to her body.

"Do you hear your daughter's screams?" Mundus teased. "Anything you do against me will be placed onto her as well."

Dante threw the swords down. "You can't use fear to make me back off. Even at the cost of Lilith's welfare. Or even her life."

"Did you hear that?" Mundus asked Lilith. "He says he's going to sacrifice you."

Lilith heaved one last time against the wound. "Not if I sacrifice myself first." Lilith commanded her trapped hand to ignite again. Mundus ran backwards until Lilith smashed against the wall. The impact left a crater in the wall. Her arm pushed all the way through his chest. She stood perfectly still as he pressed his back against her.

"How about now?" Mundus suggested innocently.

As if to answer the question, Dante raised both of his hands. Arcs of lightning flashed through his fingers. "Watch this." He activated his devil trigger and held his arms up. He threw the bone shards in his elbows and wrists. Mundus stood perfectly still as each projectile pierced his body. Some of them went all the way through to pierce Lilith. She clamped her teeth to prevent herself from screaming. Dante's hair lifted and pointed forward as he charged at Mundus. Each individual strand hit a separate mark, but each one missed Lilith. Dante's fingers pushed into the wounds left by the swords and released lightning into Mundus's body. Mundus and Lilith screamed in pain at the same time.

"Do it now!" Dante commanded. Lilith hit her devil trigger and increased the intensity of her flame. Trapped between the two, Mundus felt his body ripped asunder from the inside. As if she'd run out of energy, Lilith killed the flame on her hand and reverted to human form. Dante increased the intensity of his own attack. A powerful burst of lightning blew all three of them into the air in different directions. When Mundus hit the floor again, he landed against a jagged piece of marble that had broken from the floor earlier. His left arm was sliced through and ripped from his shoulder by the impact. He watched with surprise as it rolled away from him.

Mundus pulled himself off the marble slab and crawled towards him arm. He was hit by another barrage of bone darts. Mundus continued crawling. Lilith hit her devil trigger as she picked herself off the floor and flew over him. She summoned as much power as she could as a fresh stream of blood fell from her eyes. She landed in front of him with lightning all around her. She hit the ground with as much force as she could muster. A drop of blood from her eye fell to the floor. When it landed, a large crack opened in the floor. With the strength of a moderate earthquake, the crack lengthened and widened into a deep crevice.

Mundus rolled out of the way as the crevice passed by him. He tried to stand, but he slipped in a puddle of his own blood. Dante jumped around him and delivered a kick. Mundus caught Dante's ankle with his one hand. Dante twisted around to kick Mundus with the back of his other foot. Mundus maintained his grip on Dante's ankle as the two fell into the crevice. Dante caught the edge of the crevice and reverted to human form.

Lilith jumped to where they'd fallen and reached down for Dante's arm. Dante shook his head. "Don't! Leave us here!"

Mundus held on to Dante's ankle. "Do you intend to let me hang here forever? I won't release you."

Dante thought about it for a moment. "If you say so." To Mundus and Lilith's shock, Dante released his grip. Lilith watched Mundus and Dante plummet towards the bottom. She stood there and waited. She tilted her head as if listening for the sound of their bodies hitting the bottom. Instead, she heard a metallic whistling from below. She stepped back as a small round object flew out from the crevice and landed at her feet. She bit back a scream of disgust when she realized it was Mundus's head. The metallic whistling grew louder as Dante flew from the crevice and landed in front of her.

With a sigh of relief, Lilith changed to her human form. Then she leaned forward as a painful shock suddenly burst through her body. Dante caught her as she fell forward and lowered her to the floor.

"What is it?" he asked. "What happened?"

"The darts." Lilith ran a hand across her belly and held up her hand. It was covered with blood.

Dante found three puncture wounds on her abdomen where she'd been hit by the bone darts. Without saying a single word, Dante commanded three locks of his hair to plunge into the wounds. Lilith clamped her teeth again as his hair quickly worked its way through until it forced the darts to pop out of the wounds. He pulled the darts and his hair from her body. Lilith sat up and leaned forward until the pain subsided.

"Come on," Dante said as he stood. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Is there a need to hurry?"

"Yes. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I've already spent too much of my life down here anyway." He offered his hand to her. She accepted it graciously and pulled herself up. He flashed into his human form while still holding her hand. Her hand stung from the energy release. She jerked her hand free and wiggled her fingers. Dante waved his head towards the doors. "Come on."

Lilith followed him towards the doors. She stopped long enough to take a final look at Mundus's head. As soon as she turned away from it, the eyes blinked and moved in her direction. Neither she nor Dante saw it. When the doors closed behind them, the head moaned before finally falling silently.


	8. Fall of Grace

Fall of Grace

Lilith stood on top of the statue of Sparda in the middle of the plaza. Though it was the early afternoon, the day was dark from the rain clouds above. Hundreds of people were gathering below. Wails and laments blocked out the sounds of thunder. People disguised as personifications of death, some of which bore an eerie resemblance to Death Scythes, circled and danced through the plaza to the solemn beat of several drums. Some people threw offerings of flowers, gems, and precious metals at the foot of the statue. A priest and priestess from one of the temples slashed their palms and smeared the blood across Sparda's feet. Lilith let the scene continue for about an hour before she raised her hands. Everyone immediately fell silent.

"The Third God Vergil has passed before us!" Lilith made her voice project across the plaza. The people below listened intently, though some of them swayed back and forth as if in a trance. "The Third God is no longer among us in body, but let him forever watch over us in spirit! Bound no longer by the limits of flesh, he is now a true god!" The people responded with more wailing. Some people slashed the skin under their eyes to simulate the tears of blood. Lilith removed a handful of ashes, Vergil's ashes, from a bag in her pocket and tossed them over the crowd. The people reached up to catch as much of it as they could so they could keep some of it for themselves. No one noticed Lilith shaking her head in disgust. She stayed perfectly still on top of the statue while the funerary ritual played itself out below. When the final person finished mourning and left the plaza, Lilith threw herself from the statue. She landed safely in the street several feet away.

Thunder rolled one more time before rain finally began to fall. For the first time in her entire life, Lilith walked slowly home without fear of being chased. She passed the vine of evening glories on her way. She pulled one free and continued on.

(X)

Koromos's body lay out under the sun. A crow landed on his forehead. The ground was covered with blood that gushed from his neck. The crow leaned over to peck out an eyeball. It cawed and flew away in terror when the eye it was aiming for jerked and looked in its direction. Koromos opened his mouth to spit blood.

"I hate when people don't listen to me." Bloody tendrils slithered from under the flesh around his neck and shot out for his head. They pulled the head closer to the body as they worked to reform his neck. He sighed with pleasure as he felt the tissues reconnect and spark back to life. When he was whole again, he sat up and rubbed his newly formed neck.

"I was wondering when I'd have a chance to do that." Koromos stood and stretched. "It seems I'm too late. Everything's gone quiet." He took his time making his way to the portal that would lead him to the Underworld. He headed straight for the main building where his father liked to conduct what little dirty work he actually did. His jaw dropped in shock when he saw the shape the building was in. He stepped over broken marble and debris towards the large crack in the floor. He broke into a fit of laughter when he saw Mundus's head lying on the floor.

The eyes snapped open and looked his way. Koromos stood over it and tapped it with his foot. "This is great," Koromos taunted. "What will you do now?" Mundus growled at him. Koromos picked up the head. "I know what you were trying to do when you thought I was dead. You tried to force Lilith into being your bride, didn't you?"

The head snapped at him. "What are you going to do?" Koromos asked. "Bite me?"

"How dare you," the head accused.

"Don't be upset," Koromos said. "You know there is no honor among our kind, not even within the families."

"I will kill you," the head growled.

"With what? You couldn't even defeat Dante and Lilith. What can you do against me now?" Koromos stood on the edge of the crevice and held his father's head over it. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything. Just so you know, Lilith is intended to be my wife, not yours. She just doesn't know it yet."

He dropped the head into the crevice and listened for it to bounce across the bottom. "It's time to get going. I have to go get my bride."

(X)

Lilith closed the door and leaned against it. When she'd gathered herself together, she stepped into the living room. To her surprise, Dante was sitting on the divan under the window.

"You're in my spot," she said softly.

"Sorry," he said without looking at her. "I hope you'll forgive me, given the circumstances."

Lilith approached the divan and sat opposite Dante. He finally glanced her way. "You're soaking wet," he said. He reached for her hair and squeezed out some of the excess water.

Lilith shook her head. She didn't know if she did it out of habit or pity. "Where are you?"

Dante dropped his hand. "What?"

"Where are you? Your body is here, but where is your mind?"

Dante sighed. "Everything has been turned upside down. It's almost like we're living in a twilight, trapped between day and night."

Lilith hesitated for a moment before holding out her hand. The evening glory was sitting in her palm. "I hear that my mother loved these."

Dante looked at her with surprise before taking the evening glory. Then he bowed his head. Lilith heard him softly sobbing. "I thought devils didn't cry."

Dante chuckled before sniffling. "What is that? Sarcasm?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, it is."

Dante lifted his head. "I accept that without flinching nor reservation. I deserve it."

"I'm sorry." Lilith wiped the water from her face. "You should have seen them in the plaza today. It was awful. The way they cried and mourned as a form of celebration. They honestly believe that Vergil died on purpose to become a true god."

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that you have to live like this, but the only alternative was for us to stay in the Underworld. There was no way I'd do that."

"I understand. I'm not upset. Not at you, anyway." Lilith tilted her head back. "It is nice how quiet it is up here. There are no voices screaming in the background."

Dante gazed through the window. "I killed my brother. He begged me to do it, and I wouldn't until he deliberately threatened you. If I hadn't done anything, would he have actually hurt you?"

"He would have," Lilith said with certainty. "He wanted to die that badly. Quite frankly, though I loved my uncle Vergil, he's better off that way."

Dante shook his head. "For the First Goddess, I do believe you have lost your damn mind."

"Much madness is divinest sense." She watched her father finger the petals of the morning glory. "It's just you and me, now," she said. "I guess this will be our first good night's sleep."

"Far from it. We must not relax. Ever. That is how we would be overcome. We have no way of knowing we are safe, so we must assume we are not."

"Is that how we must live our entire lives? Constantly on guard?"

"Better that than be caught by surprise. It's not the life I wanted for you, but it's the only one I have the power to give you."

"All right, but don't let that destroy us."

"It's too late for me. I've already lost too much. My wife. My brother. Myself. I could have lost you because I was willing to sacrifice you to destroy Mundus."

"I was willing to sacrifice myself, but I am still here. Let me anchor you. All is not lost." Lilith stood and wrapped her arms around Dante's neck. "You no longer have a facade to uphold, Dad. Let the devil cry." She kissed the back of his head and ruffled his hair before heading for the stairs. Dante watched her until she disappeared over the top.

"Damn her," he whispered. "She doesn't know what the hell she's talking about." He lifted the evening glory to his face and sniffed it. He deliberately focused all his energy into enjoying the sweet smell so he wouldn't have to acknowledge the impending tears that wanted to flow down his face. As he leaned forward, the red medallion around his neck slid from under his coat. Dante crushed the flower as he at last let the tears pour freely.


End file.
